World Giving Index 2022
A global view of giving trends

CHARITY INFORMATION, TRUSTEES AND ADVISORS

About CAF
The Charities Aid Foundation is a leading charity
operating in the UK and internationally. Our work
connects and enables the vital organisations,institutions and individuals working together toensure that everyone has a stake in the future.
We believe that the agency of lasting change lies
across sectors and borders, in the hearts, minds
and hands of those driven to make a difference.
We exist to accelerate progress in society towards
a fair and sustainable future for all.

In this report3

Foreword				4

About this report

5

Solidarity across the globe

6

Key findings

7

1.0

The CAF World Giving Index

7

1.1

Overview

8

1.2

The world’s 10 most generous countries

11

1.3 The world’s lowest scoring countries

12

2.0 Global scores over time

12

2.1

14

3.0 Risers and fallers

16

4.0 Helping a stranger

18

5.0 Donating money

19

6.0 Volunteering time

Comparisons by income level

20 Methodology
21 CAF World Giving Index full table
24 CAF international network
25 Surveyed countries

Copyright © Charities Aid Foundation 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted inany form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the priorwritten permission of the copyright owner.

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

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FOREWORD

This year’s Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index
provides insights into the global giving landscape as we
emerged from the initial stages of the pandemic and began
to live with Covid-19 in 2021. This report shows the impactthat the health crisis and other social and geopoliticalpressures have had on human behaviour worldwide.
Giving takes different forms around the globe, and even thedefinitions of what constitutes charity and generosity differ
across cultures. Our World Giving Index aims to measuregenerosity with three cross-cultural human behaviours.
Encouragingly, the overall Index score has increased,
indicating that people around the world have been
engaging more in the actions measured than during theprevious year. In whatever form it may take, the desire tohelp others has grown in most instances, despite fewer
opportunities during some stages of the pandemic. There
was an especially marked increase in people who said they
had helped a stranger with approximately half a billion
more people reporting that they had helped someone they
didn’t know.

The world is facing an increasingly unstable geopoliticalenvironment: there are fears of a global recession andclimate change is affecting food supply, migration andnatural disasters. Against this uncertain backdrop,
we hope the insights captured in this edition of theWorld Giving Index improve understanding about
global giving, and encourage conversations on how
the work of individuals, charities, businesses, andgovernments can help to build stronger and moresustainable societies.
One of the privileges of working for the Charities Aid
Foundation is having the opportunity to see how
generosity contributes to stronger charities,
communities, and societies. We aim to build towards afair and sustainable future for all – which is why we takepride in helping individuals as well as businesses give
anywhere safely to support those in need.

The concern and care for neighbours that so many of us
witnessed during the pandemic appears to havetranscended borders, as shown by the high scores forhelping strangers in Central and South American countries.
As these regions faced uncertain political situations andhigh levels of migration, personal responsibility to help
others came to the fore. This community spirit has since
been echoed in Europe’s response to the humanitariancrisis in Ukraine – a country which came out 10th in our
Index, showing the strength of civil society in Ukraine
before the invasion.
Covid-19 has affected the world’s poorest and vulnerable
the most, disrupting progress towards the UN Sustainable
Development Goals. Private donors and businesses arelikely to be called upon to fill funding gaps and charities willneed to work out how best to direct their limited funding
for the greatest impact. However, in the wake of two
difficult years and with further challenges likely to come, we
continue to observe great instances of global generosity.

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

Neil Heslop, OBE
Chief Executive, Charities Aid Foundation

3

About this report

Background

CAF World Giving Index 2022 – about the data

CAF has been producing its World Giving Index for morethan a decade. The first CAF World Giving Index was
published in the wake of the global financial crisis, offering
insights into generosity in times of tumult. Now this longrunning study has given us the opportunity to look not onlyat how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted giving aroundthe world, but also how the global community is engaging
with giving as we seek to establish a new sense of normalcy.

For this edition, data has been included for 119 countries,
representing more than 90% of the global adult population.

This report provides insight into the scope and natureof giving around the world by examining three aspectsof giving behaviour. The questions at the heart of thereport are:Have you done any of the following in the past month?

• Helped a stranger, or someone you didn’t know who
needed help?

• Donated money to a charity?
• Volunteered your time to an organisation?
The report includes the results of 1.95 million
individuals interviewed across the globe since 2009. The
result is one of the biggest surveys into giving everproduced.
All fieldwork has been conducted by the market research
firm, Gallup1, as part of its World Poll initiative2. The
findings in this report are based on the published World Polldataset as of 31st March 2022.

1
2

CAF World Giving Index ranking and scores
In order to establish a rounded measure of giving behaviour
across the world, the CAF World Giving Index relies on asimple averaging of the responses from the three key
questions asked in each country. Each country is given a
percentage score and countries are ranked based on thesescores. In 2019, CAF published a ten-year anniversary issueof the Index which aggregated the survey’s findings over thecourse of a decade.

About us
For over 95 years, we’ve acted as a meeting point forcompanies, private philanthropists, fellow foundations,
governments, charities and not-for-profit enterprises. Our
independence, expertise and international reach enable
hundreds of millions of pounds each year to move acrosssectors and borders and arrive safely with thousands ofcharities to make a greater impact.
www.cafonline.org

Gallup website: www.gallup.com/home.aspx
Gallup World Poll website: https://news.gallup.com/topic/world-poll.aspx

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

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Solidarity across the globe

The CAF World Giving Index offers a unique insight into
global trends in generosity. It enables us to understandwhere people are most likely to engage in social activities
for the benefit of their communities and to champion thegrowth of global giving.
Giving is changing, not least on an individual level as
people around the world emerge from pandemic
restrictions with new considerations and challenges.
However, the existence of generosity and civil society
worldwide is a constant. What the World Giving Index
shows is that the act of giving exists in all societies.
This reality makes the value of CAF’s work and thecharities it supports even more apparent. A key priority
for CAF is highlighting the value of cross-border giving: weenable donors to give safely and effectively acrossborders to charities. In the last financial year, CAF helped
deliver almost £1bn to over 100,000 charities in 110
countries and around a fifth of those donations moved
across borders, originating from our offices in the UK, theUnited States and Canada.
CAF has consistently called for governments, policy
makers and international funders to ensure the building
blocks are in place to enable cross-border giving and local
giving structures to build sustainability. To arrive there;

Governments need to:• make sure that civil society organisations are regulated
in a fair, consistent and open way• make it easy for people to give and offer incentives
for giving where possible• promote civil society as an independent voice inpublic life and respect the right of not-for-profit
organisations to speak out on important issues

International funders need to:• provide funding for organisations which provide

support to donors and civil society organisations tobuild infrastructure that can continue to generate
funds for civil society even after aid ends

• fund local organisations directly to improve theaccountability and efficiency of aid• recognise the importance of helping grantees to build
sustainable domestic support and fund accordingly

Civil Society organisations need to:• ensure good governance and be transparent about
impact to build public trust• meaningfully engage local communities in decisionmaking so civil society becomes locally owned• recognise and build on traditional forms of giving tocreate organisations and a culture of giving whichworks to the strengths of the local context

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

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MORE THAN THREE BILLIONPEOPLE HELPED SOMEONE THEY
DIDN’T KNOW IN 2021

Key findings

More people than ever (62%) reported thatthey helped a stranger last year, which is
the highest score recorded since 2009. The
need created by the pandemic, and thesubsequent feelings of community andsolidarity, were likely behind this upward
trend. Except for the United States, thecountries in the top 10 for helping a
stranger are all located in Africa and Southand Central America.

INDONESIA IS THE MOST GENEROUS
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD FOR THE
FIFTH YEAR IN A ROWPARTICIPATION AND GIVING IN HIGHINCOME COUNTRIES HAVE BOUNCEDBACK TO HISTORIC LEVELS

Indonesia tops the World Giving Index for a
fifth year with a score of 68%. The country
has the highest rates of donating andvolunteering in the world. During 2021,
more than eight in ten people donatedmoney and more than six in ten (63%)
volunteered time.

Many high-income countries saw a steep
decline in scores in 2018 which continued andeven accelerated during the first year of thepandemic. But during 2021, this trend waslargely reversed with some of those countries
now returning to the top 10, albeit some withlower Index scores. However, low-and-middleincome countries tended to see increased
scores during the first year of the pandemic,
with further rises in 2021, most notably forvolunteering and helping a stranger.

MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER DONATEDMONEY IN 2021
Despite a global pandemic and the economic
hardship experienced by many communities
worldwide, people continued to donate money tocharity. In high-income economies, the rate of
donations sharply increased by 10%. With the
exception of Indonesia and Myanmar -which havestrong traditions of religious giving – high-income
countries made up the top 10 for this measure.

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 20226

1.0 | The CAF World Giving Index

1.1		Overview
The pandemic and its economic impact do not seem to have dampened our enthusiasm for giving. On the contrary, theglobal World Giving Index score for 2021 now stands at 40%, having recorded its largest ever annual increase of five
percentage points. Participation and giving levels increased substantially for each of the three measures included in the
Index. The global increase is most marked amongst high-income countries, many of which first recorded a decline in 2018thatwas sustained
until
2021. over time
Figure1: Global
scoresGlobal WGI Score
Helping a stranger
Donating money
Volunteering time
70

62%

% participation

60
50

44%

47%

46%

48%

49%

29%

29%

51%

50%

51%

31%

31%

30%

29%

21%

21%

49%

47%

51%

55%

40
30
20
10

28%

30%

27%

31%

27%

28%

18%

19%

19%

35%
23%

18%

20%

19%

20%

22%

21%

22%

30%

32%

31%

32%

33%

34%

35%

33%

34%

31%

33%

35%

40%

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Year

Figure 1: Global scores over time
Helping a stranger reached its highest recorded level in 2021, with three out of five (62%) adults helping someone they
didn’t know, up from 55% in 2020. This equates to 3.5 billion people3, compared to almost three billion in 2020, andrepresents the highest ever global score across any of the three measures recorded in the CAF World Giving Index. In
particular, low- and middle-income countries from Central and South America increased their scores for helping a stranger,
with five of these countries featuring in the top 10 for this measure.   
Similarly, more people than ever reported donating to charity in 2021, rising to more than one in three (35%) individuals
around the world. There was also an increase in volunteering to almost one in four people globally (23%), up from one infive in 2020 (19%).
3

 The population data are calculated using the official United Nations population estimates and projections for 2021, and includes all adults aged 15 andover. United Nations population website: https://population.un.org/wpp/

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

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1

THE CAF WORLD GIVING INDEX

1.2 The world’s 10 most generous countries
Figure 2: Highest scoring 10 countries in 2021

68%

INDONESIA

59%

UNITED STATESOF AMERICA54%

NEW ZEALAND

51%

50%

SIERRA LEONEZAMBIA

58%

80%

66%

83%

74%

84%

61%

61%

27%

35%

63%

37%

34%

44%

43%

1

3

2

5

4

7

6

9

8

10

77%

69%

55%

65%

75%

55%

64%

73%

59%

47%

52%

33%

28%

29%

24%

KENYA

AUSTRALIAMYANMAR

CANADAUKRAINE

61%

55%

52%

51%

49%

Indonesia has the highest World Giving Index score for the fifth year in a row. The country maintains its top ranking with an
Index of 68%, largely unchanged since 2020 (69%). Indonesia has the highest rate of donating (84%) and volunteering (63%)
in the world.
Kenya follows with an Index score of 61%, up from 58% in 2020. All three of Kenya’s scores increased in 2021. The country
has a much higher than average score for helping a stranger – 77% of Kenyans helped someone they didn’t know in 2021,
compared to the global average of 62%.
Over the past five years, Indonesia and Kenya have seen increased levels of participation and giving. Since religion has
traditionally been a key driver for giving, a possible explanation for these findings could be their large religious populations.
These results could also be driven by community-focused cultural traditions such as Indonesia’s gotong-royong and Kenya’s
harambee, which unite people in times of increased need, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

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1

THE CAF WORLD GIVING INDEX

Indonesia“Indonesia’s philanthropic culture of collective actions – or, as we call it, gotong royong– has always been evident within Indonesia, and it is a pleasure to see it being
recognised for its strengths and sparking interest abroad as well.
Religious giving strongly influences Indonesia’s giving culture, with zakat driving thephilanthropic work of many. Zakat defines giving to the vulnerable and needy as areligious duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary wealth criteria. This practicealso applies to other religions in Indonesia. Indonesia is the world’s most populous
Muslim-majority country and is home to 231 million Muslims.
The younger generations in Indonesia also have significant interest and support forcharity and philanthropy activities. Young people are driving uptake of digital giving
platforms, which help donation processes operate more quickly, safely, and easily.
The growing private wealth of many Indonesians has likely also contributed to an
observable increase in philanthropic activity across the country – not just in thecapital city but also at the regional level from east to west. Indonesia’s philanthropic
eco-system is also growing increasingly sophisticated and diverse with collaborationand collective action as its heart.”
Rizal Algamar, Chairman of the Executive Board, Indonesia Philanthropy Association

Kenya“Kenyans’ high levels of solidarity and giving, despite the difficulties experienced overthe past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cost of living, is truly
encouraging. The underpinnings of our culture and religious influence continue tocontribute to actions around giving and therefore it is important for us to strengthen
these positive values. My hope is that our giving and solidarity will permeate to
non-traditional areas such as social justice. It is also critical that more avenues are
opened to support Kenyans who give and make it easier for Kenyans to give in an
organised manner that ensures transparency and accountability.”
Grace Maingi, Executive Director, Kenya Community Development Foundation

Following a substantial fall to rank #19 in 2020, the United States rose to #3 in 2021. It now has an Index score of 59%, anincrease of 16 percentage points, which is the highest score for the country since 2016. The United States is the only
country that features in the top 10 ranking for all three aspects of giving. Australia and New Zealand made the top fivecountries in this year’s Index. Both countries recorded a significant increase of around 10 percentage points for helping a
stranger and donating money.
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1

THE CAF WORLD GIVING INDEX

Australia“It is great to see Australia in the top 5 most generous countries again this year.
As lockdown restrictions eased and more in-person events began to take place,
Australians found themselves with more opportunities to participate in civil society,which may have contributed to the increased numbers of Australians helping
strangers or donating money. Many Australians also have a great deal of pride in
our national cultural value of mateship, which embodies loyalty and friendshipparticularly in times of need. This cultural value and desire to create a fair society
may well underpin Australians’ ongoing desire to give.
From here, we would love to see even more of this generosity funnelled throughworkplace giving as this is one of, if not the most efficient way to maximise theimpact this spirit has on making a difference. If we can rapidly get the mostsignificant amount of the money committed to where it is being used, we can best
help those in need and support the many causes about which Australians evidently
feel so passionate.”
David Mann, CEO, Good2Give

Canada has returned to the top 10, recording a very large jump from rank #35 in 2020 to #8, and an Index score of 51%, up
from 38% in 2020. After a year when Western countries that usually occupied the top rankings were adversely influenced
by the effects of the pandemic, in 2021 their scores returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, some of these Western
top-ranking countries (such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands) did not place in the top 10 most generous
countries in the world, due in large part to the unusually increased levels of giving in previously lower ranking countries.
Two new countries entered the top 10 most generous countries in the world: Zambia and Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine is the
only European country occupying a place in the top 10, moving up the rankings from #20 in 2020 to #10 in 2021.
Ukraine’s increase across all three individual measures may be due in part to the country’s socio-economic growth and thecultural shifts that were taking place in the years before the war. Research on Ukrainians’ perception of charitable giving
suggests that factors such as rising living standards, the implementation of new and more creative modes of charitable
activities, and the increased need for giving due to the Covid-19 pandemic triggered this growth in giving and participation4.
As first noticed in last year’s report, the pandemic has been changing the landscape of global giving behaviour. In 2018,seven out of the 10 most generous countries were classed by the United Nations as high-income countries. However, in
2020, during the height of the pandemic, seven out of the top 10 were low- and middle-income economies. This trend
continued in 2021. Only four of this year’s top 10 most generous countries are classed by the United Nations as high-income
countries, and six are low- and middle-income countries.

4

https://zagoriy.foundation/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/charitable-giving-as-viewed-by-ukraininans-in-2021.pdf

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 202210

1.3 Τhe world’s 10 lowest scoring countries
Figure 3: Lowest scoring 10 countries in 2021

29%

ARMENIA

28%

TUNISIA

26%

23%

20%

PORTUGAL

EGYPT

JAPAN

61%

63%

52%

57%

24%

16%

9%

17%

7%

18%

11%

13%

10%

4%

17%

116

118

110

111

112

113

114

115

117

119

50%

36%

50%

44%

23%

27%

30%

14%

7%

24%

15%

9%

13%

10%

10%

LATVIA

29%

LAO PEOPLE’S
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC

27%

LEBANON

AFGHANISTANCAMBODIA

24%

21%

19%

Cambodia scores the lowest of all of the countries, with an Index score of 19%, down from 28% last year. It is closely
followed by Japan with an Index score of 20%, up from 12% in the previous year. Lebanon, Egypt and Afghanistan make up
the rest of the five lowest scoring countries in 2021. The reasons for Japan’s very low score are likely to be cultural in nature– what might be perceived as charity in the United States is likelier to be understood as responsibility in Japan. Meanwhile,
Afghanistan, Egypt and Lebanon are experiencing widespread poverty or famine, civil unrest or war, and political instability.

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 202211

2.0 | Global scores over time

2.1 Comparisons by income level
Since early 2020, the world has experienced multiple waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, and most countries continued to
employ lockdown strategies during 2021. In January 2021, high-income countries started to receive the first shipments of
Covid-19 vaccines and lockdowns began to ease, whilst many low- and middle-income countries continued to facepandemic
restrictions
for a second
year in aGlobalrow.
Figure4: Highincomecountries:scores overtime
Figure 4: Global scores over time, high-income countries

Helping a stranger
Donating money
Volunteering time70

% participation

60
50
40

46%
45%

48%

47%

49%

51%

49%

56%

52%
41%

45%

44%

46%

30
20

50%

52%

21%

22%

2009

2010

21%

23%

2011

2012

43%
24%

45%

45%

24%

24%

42%

44%

23%

24%

46%

44%
45%

33%

36%

19%

20%

2018

2019

35%
17%

21%

10
2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2020

2021

Year

The gradual easing of lockdown policies throughout 2021 led to increased mobility5and more opportunities to participate incharitable activities. As Figure 4 shows, there was a substantial increase across high-income countries in two giving
behaviours. More people than ever (56%) reported that they helped someone they did not know, an increase of 12
percentage points since 2020. Similarly, the proportion of people who donated increased significantly by 10 percentage
points, from 35% in 2020 to 45% in 2021.

5

https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/why-has-covid-19-lockdown-compliance-varied-between-high-andCharities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

12

2

GLOBAL SCORES OVER TIME

The global rate of volunteering saw a smaller but significant increase to 21%, from 17% in 2020 when lockdowns likely
limited these opportunities. During the first year of the pandemic, volunteering rates were particularly low – but rates havebeen low since as far back as 2018. The improvement shown in the latest results represents a return to the higher levels ofvolunteering
thatincome
were typicalin the early andmid-2010s.
Figure5: Highcountries:
Globalscores overtime
Figure 5: Global scores over time, low- and middle-income countries

Helping a stranger
Donating money
Volunteering time70
61%
% participation

60
50

45%

47%

23%

23%

20%

19%

18%

19%

2009

2010

2011

2012

45%

46%

51%

50%

51%

50%

52%

26%

25%

24%

22%

24%

24%

21%

20%

21%

20%

20%

18%

19%

20%

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

48%

48%

65%

40
30
20
10

20%

23%

23%

28%

29%
24%

2021

Year

Like most high-income countries, many low- and middle-income economies (LMICs) employed lockdown restrictions in
response to the pandemic. However, the difficulties to obtain vaccines meant these countries tended to impose much
longer lockdowns, with social and economic problems more likely as a result6. Whilst there is some improvement in the
LMICs scores in both helping a stranger and volunteering time, donating money has remained in line with the highest rate
which was first recorded in 2020.
Two out of three (65%) adults reported helping a stranger in LMICs, up from 61% in 2020. This score is significantly higher
than in high-income countries, indicating increased need, and perhaps solidarity as the pandemic continued. Volunteeringin LMICs also increased slightly from 20% to 24%.
The increase in the overall global Index score is likely driven by a combination of high-income countries returning to
pre-2018 giving norms, coupled with a more gradual improvement in scores for the low- and middle-income countries.

6	https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01096-7
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00194662211023847

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 202213

3.0 | Risers and fallers

This section outlines which countries have seen the largest increases ordecreases in their World Giving Index score over the past five years.
Countries which have reported a score for at least four out of the last
five years are included in the analysis (2017 to 2021), and they are
ranked from the largest score increase to the largest score decreaseover that time.
The country with the largest rise in Index score is the Czech Republic,
up 29 percentage points compared to 2017. As well as substantially
improving its score, the Czech Republic has moved up 75 places in the
ranking compared to 2020, and 115 places compared to 2017. Czechs
became increasingly generous in 2021 with many more people
donating money compared to 2020 (55% in 2021, 25% in 2020).
A possible explanation for this sharp rise in charitable giving is thesolid growth of the Czech economy during 2021. This recovery was
positively reflected in the labour market, with low unemployment
rates – the lowest in the EU – and wage increases7. Czechs also turned
to new ways of donating. Public polling showed that increased
numbers of Czechs donated money online and through text
messages in 2021 compared to in 20208.
China and Serbia reported the second (28%) and third (28%) largest
increases. Since 2016, when China introduced legislation to regulate
Chinese charities, the country’s overall Index score and ranking have
improved significantly. In 2017, China had an Index score of 14%, andwas ranked #138. In 2021, the country moved up to #49 with a scoreof 42%.
Serbia has also seen a notable leap, moving up the ranking from #132
with a score of 18% in 2017, to #27 in 2021 and a score of 46%. This
remarkable increase may be partly due to systematic attempts torevive the practice of charitable giving in Serbia over the last decade9.
Notably, donation volumes nearly trebled during the pandemic10.

Table 1: Biggest Risers and Fallers 2021

BIGGEST RISERS
1 Czech Republic 29% ▲2 China 28% ▲3 Serbia 28% ▲4 Russia 26% ▲5 Paraguay 24% ▲6 Bulgaria 23% ▲7 Venezuela 22% ▲8 Poland 21% ▲9 Lithuania 21% ▲10 Vietnam 21% ▲BIGGEST FALLERS
1 Myanmar 13% ▼2 Afghanistan 8% ▼
3 South Africa 8% ▼4 Lebanon 7% ▼5 Hong Kong 6% ▼6 Mauritius 5% ▼7 Netherlands 5% ▼8 Japan 5% ▼9 Ireland 5% ▼10 Germany 4% ▼7 ttps://www.parlamentnilisty.cz/arena/nazory-a-petice/Petr-Dufek-Prijemne-prekvapeni-z-ceske-ekonomiky-691474
hhttps://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2022/08/02/record-employment-in-italy-in-june-czech-republic-has-lowest-jobless-rate-in-eu
8 https://english.radio.cz/study-czechs-becoming-increasingly-charitable-8735092#:~:text=Most%20people%2C%20nearly%2050%20percent,of%20
Europe%20in%20charity%20donations
9 https://www.divac.com/philanthropy
10 https://izvestaj.srbijadaruje.org/country/Serbia/en/fullCharities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

14

3

RISERS AND FALLERSThe Serbian Philanthropy Forum11, an umbrella organisation of foundations and donors in Serbia, reports that this growthis due in large part to Serbians increasing their donations via SMS to causes relating to healthcare and medical research, aswell as natural disasters (e.g. in response to the recent earthquakes in Croatia). Serbia’s economic recovery after the firstyear of the pandemic, alongside significant wage growth, also likely contributed to the high rates of giving and participation.
Other countries which saw an improvement are Russia, Paraguay, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Poland, Lithuania and Vietnam.
At the other end of the spectrum, the country recording the biggest decline was Myanmar, down by 13 percentage points.
Although Myanmar still ranks #6 on the overall Index in 2021, the country had previously placed #1 from 2014 to 2017. Overthe past five years, there have been shifts in the country’s scores and rankings, but it has remained in the top 10, despite
significant political unrest.  
Half of the countries which declined the most in 2021 are high-income countries, such as Hong Kong, the Netherlands,
Japan, Ireland and Germany. Notably, Ireland first saw a decline in 2019. Due to its strong charitable tradition, Irelandusually features in the most generous countries, but it now sits just outside the top 10 at #11.

Serbia“Citizens and companies in Serbia have proven that they possess a high degree of
responsibility towards the public interest and humanity in relation to individual needsof solidarity. Serbia’s rankings in this year’s World Giving Index capture this sense of
responsibility that Serbians feel towards one another.
Research by non-profit organisation Catalyst Balkans found that Serbians are notably
giving more. Citizens donate to non-profit organisations more often than before, andto a greater extent through public fundraising campaigns, particularly via text
message. This likely reflects the growing trust that citizens feel towards thephilanthropic ecosystem in Serbia.
Serbia also saw an increase in GDP and average salary in 2021, suggesting Serbians
may be better placed than in previous years to make donations. Serbia’s improved
rankings in the World Giving Index also reflect several years of promoting
philanthropy, educational programs, and reporting on charities and philanthropy, inparticular by the Coalition for Charity. The Covid-19 pandemic also mobilised the
support of many citizens who desired to help others in a time of great need.”
Veran Matić, Director, Serbian Philanthropy Forum

11 https://www.srpskifilantropskiforum.org/

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 202215

4.0 | Helping a stranger

Helping a stranger remained the most

Table 2. Top 10 countries for helping a stranger in 2021

widespread giving behaviour and reachedrecord levels.
Sierra Leone achieved the highest proportion of people(83%) who helped someone they did not know. It wasclosely followed by Venezuela (82%), Jamaica (80%) andthe United States (80%). Five of the top 10 countries
where the most people helped a stranger were locatedin South and Central America. The effects of thepandemic and economic hardships likely led to higher
levels of charitable engagement in developing countries,
as first shown in last year’s World Giving Index.
Cambodia and Japan were the countries with the lowest
proportion of people who reported helping a stranger(23% and 24% respectively). Half of the countries foundin the bottom ten are high-income European countries(France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Malta). Thisis likely due in large part to the function of the welfare
state, and the strong social safety nets that are in placein European countries.

HELPING A STRANGERCOUNTRY AND RANKINGPEOPLE(%)

Sierra Leone

1

83%

Venezuela

2

82%

Jamaica380%

United States of America

480%

Nigeria

5

79%

Costa Rica

6

78%

Kenya

7

77%

Uganda877%

Colombia

976%

Mexico1076%

Table 3. Bottom 10 countries for helping a stranger in 2021

HELPING A STRANGERCOUNTRY AND RANKING

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

PEOPLE
(%)

Malta

110

48%

Kazakhstan

111

47%

Afghanistan

112

44%

Italy

113

44%

Netherlands

114

43%

Switzerland

115

40%

France116

38%

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

117

36%

Japan

118

24%

Cambodia

119

23%

16

4

HELPING A STRANGER

Brazil“The increase in giving recorded in Central and South America makes a heartening
statement about the generosity present in these regions and their communities. Thisfinding is also not altogether surprising.
Many countries across Central and South America were severely impacted by thecoronavirus pandemic, prompting a surge in interpersonal aid – as evidenced by thestrong representation of Central and South American nations among the countries
ranked highest for helping a stranger. Moreover, tumultuous political situations invarious countries across these regions led ordinary people to take responsibility for
improving their communities. Indeed, in contexts where the actions of government
bodies appeared limited or insufficient in meeting people’s needs, many individuals
stepped up to drive aid efforts. This report’s findings indicate that this was certainly
the case in Brazil, as well as for many of our neighbours.”
Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS (Brazil)

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 202217

5.0 | Donating money

More people than ever donated money

Table 4. Top 10 countries for donating money in 2021

to charity in 2021.
Indonesia has the highest proportion of people (84%) who
donated money to charity in the world. Myanmar follows insecond place, with three out five (73%) adults donating moneyin 2021. As discussed in section 1.2, widespread donating inboth countries is due in large part to religious giving andcommunity-based cultural traditions.
Seven out of the top 10 countries for donating money are
high-income countries: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom,
Australia, New Zealand and the United States remained in the
top 10 for this measure.
All countries in the bottom 10 for donating money were lowand middle-income. Georgia had the lowest proportion ofpeople who donated money to a charity (3%). Seven out of the
10 bottom countries are in Africa.

DONATING MONEY
COUNTRY AND RANKINGPEOPLE(%)

Indonesia

184%Myanmar

2

73%

Netherlands

368%

Iceland

4

67%

United Kingdom

565%Australia

6

64%

Malta

7

64%

Thailand8

62%

United States of America

961%

New Zealand

10

61%

Table 5. Bottom 10 countries for donating money in 2021

DONATING MONEY
COUNTRY AND RANKING

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

PEOPLE(%)

Malawi110

14%

Jordan111

14%

Namibia

112

13%

Gabon

113

11%

Zimbabwe

114

10%

Tunisia

115

9%

Egypt

116

7%

Afghanistan

117

7%

Morocco118

7%Georgia

119

3%

18

6.0 | Volunteering time

Globally, nearly a quarter of all adults volunteer.

Table 6. Top 10 countries for volunteering in 2021

Volunteering time saw a small increase from 19% to 23%,
returning to pre-pandemic levels, in a similar trend to theother two measures. Despite the barriers produced by the
pandemic, this is the highest rate of volunteering reported
since 2009.
Indonesia is the country with the highest rate of volunteering.
Six out of ten adults (63%) in Indonesia reported that they
volunteered in 2021. This is likely due in large part to theIndonesian principle of gotong royong (where local
communities help and support each other during times ofdisaster), which revived after the earthquake of 201812. During
the pandemic, Indonesia demonstrated high levels ofsolidarity and a rate of volunteering time 2.7 times higher than
the global average.
Kenya is in second place for volunteering with a slightly
increased score of 52%, up from 49% in 2020. Sierra Leone,
which ranked #1 for helping a stranger, is in third place. As in
Indonesia, Kenya’s philanthropic tradition and harambee spiritthat unites people in times of need, seemed to play a criticalrole in participation and giving during the pandemic13.
The United States is the only high-income country thatoccupied a place in the volunteering top 10, moving to #7 from
#21 in 2020.

VOLUNTEERED TIME
COUNTRY AND RANKING
Indonesia

1

63%

Kenya

2

52%

Sierra Leone

3

44%

Zambia4

43%

Tajikistan

543%Philippines

6

39%

United States of America

7

37%

Sri Lanka

837%

Jamaica936%

Dominican Republic

10

36%

Table 7. Bottom 10 countries for volunteering in 2021

The country with the lowest rate of volunteering is Egypt (4%).
Egypt has been blighted by poverty, unrest and social injustice14.
The country saw a steep decline of ten percentage points in its
overall Index score, and a six percentage point decline involunteering in 2021.
Serbia, which is one of the top 3 biggest risers on the overall
Index, nevertheless remains in the bottom 10 countries forvolunteering. In 2021 it ranked #116, with only 9% of people
volunteering time. As discussed in section 3, Serbia recorded a
sharp jump in its scores for helping a stranger and donating
money over the past five years. However, the country has
traditionally been among the lowest ranking nations in terms ofvolunteering time.

12 	 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi
pdf/10.1080/0967828X.2021.1966318?needAccess=true
https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/iicis-21/125965481
13	https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/06/kenyas-philanthropic-traditiontackles-covid-19-challenge
14 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201108-egypt-s-gdp-growsdespite-pandemic-but-so-does-poverty

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

PEOPLE(%)

VOLUNTEERED TIME
COUNTRY AND RANKINGPEOPLE(%)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

110

10%

Pakistan

111

10%Latvia112

10%

Portugal

113

10%

Cambodia

114

10%

Jordan115

9%Serbia116

9%

Lebanon117

9%

Albania

118

8%

Egypt

119

4%

19

Methodology
The CAF World Giving Index is based on data from Gallup’s World View World Poll,15 which is an ongoing research project
carried out in more than 100 countries and represents more than 90% of the global adult population. The survey asks
questions on many different aspects of life today including giving behaviour. The countries surveyed and questions asked
in each region vary from year to year and are determined by Gallup. More detail on Gallup’s methodology can be viewed
online16.
In most countries surveyed, one thousand questionnaires are completed by a representative sample of individuals living
across the country. The sampling frame represents the entire civilian, non-institutionalised, aged-15-and-older
population of the entire country including rural areas. In some bigger countries larger samples are collected. In a small
number of countries, the poll covers 500 to 1,000 people but still features a representative sample. The survey is notconducted in a limited number of instances such as where the safety of interviewing staff is threatened, scarcely
populated islands in some countries, and areas that interviewers can reach only by foot, animal or small boat. In all,
127,000 people were interviewed by Gallup in 2021. Samples are probability based and were carried out both bytelephone and face-to-face17. The findings in this report are based on the published World Poll dataset as of 31st March
2022. Country-specific data published after this date is not included in our analysis.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in May 2020, Gallup decided that continuing with face-to-face interviewing (the usual datacollection method in Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, former Soviet states, developing Asia, the Middle East,
and Africa) was not safe or appropriate. Gallup initiated its contingency data collection plans and moved to an entirely
telephone-based methodology. In each country, all eligible landline and mobile service providers were included in thesample. This change in methodology is not considered to have had a material impact on the findings detailed in thisreport.
There is a margin of error (the amount of random sampling error) inherent in the results for each country, calculated by
Gallup at the 95% confidence level (the level of confidence that the results are a true reflection of the whole population).
The maximum margin of error is calculated assuming a reported percentage of 50% and takes into account the design
effect.
It is worth noting that in 2018 Gallup made substantial changes to the location of the series of items related to charitablegiving within its World Poll questionnaire across all the countries interviewed. Within the countries where interviews
were conducted face-to-face, this change did not appear to affect the results. However, in the countries where interviews
were conducted via telephone, it is unclear if these changes had some impact. CAF is monitoring subsequent results todetermine if they have a substantive impact on longer term giving trends. As a result, we have not published theindividual country findings from the polling conducted in 2018.

Calculation of CAF World Giving Index ranking
The percentages shown in the index and within this publication are all rounded to the nearest whole number or to one
decimal place. However, the analysis conducted by CAF uses percentage scores calculated to two decimal places. Due torounding, there are some occasions in the ranking of countries where two or more countries appear to have the same
percentage but are not placed equally. This is because there is a small amount of difference in the numbers to two
decimal places.

15 Gallup’s website: https://news.gallup.com/topic/world-poll.aspx
16 Gallup World Poll Methodology: https://news.gallup.com/poll/105226/world-poll-methodology.aspx
Details of each country’s dataset available: http://www.gallup.com/services/177797/country-data-set-details.aspx
17 Gallup World Poll Methodology: http://www.gallup.com/poll/105226/world-poll-methodology.aspx
Details of each country’s dataset available: http://www.gallup.com/services/177797/country-data-set-details.aspx

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

20

CAF World Giving Index full table
Ranking and scores

COUNTRY

RANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKING

SCORE

Indonesia

1

68%

76

58%

1

84%

1

63%

Kenya

2

61%

7

77%

20

55%

2

52%

United States of America

3

59%

4

80%

9

61%

7

37%

Australia

4

55%

34

69%

6

64%

20

33%

New Zealand

5

54%

46

66%

10

61%

14

34%

Myanmar

6

52%

83

55%

2

73%

36

28%

Sierra Leone

7

51%

1

83%

76

27%

3

44%

Canada

8

51%

50

65%

13

59%

33

29%

Zambia

9

50%

18

74%

53

35%

4

43%

Ukraine

10

49%

13

75%

29

47%

54

24%

Ireland

11

49%

87

55%

14

59%

21

32%

Thailand

12

48%

58

64%

8

62%

75

19%

Czech Republic

13

48%

54

64%

21

55%

52

24%

Nigeria

14

48%

5

79%

73

29%

13

35%

United Arab Emirates

15

47%

48

65%

18

56%

70

21%

Poland

16

47%

45

66%

26

50%

45

25%

United Kingdom

17

47%

97

52%

5

65%

55

24%

Brazil

18

47%

11

76%

38

41%

48

25%

Guinea

19

47%

26

72%

52

35%

15

33%

Philippines

20

47%

15

75%

79

26%

6

39%

Argentina

21

47%

12

76%

56

33%

24

31%

Uganda

22

46%

8

77%

78

27%

12

35%

Iceland

23

46%

109

50%

4

67%

69

22%

Denmark

24

46%

74

60%

22

55%

61

23%

Mongolia

25

46%

107

50%

24

52%

11

36%

Honduras

26

46%

37

68%

47

36%

17

33%

Serbia

27

46%

39

68%

11

60%

116

9%

Jamaica

28

46%

3

80%

95

20%

9

36%

Netherlands

29

46%

114

43%

3

68%

42

26%

Russian Federation

30

46%

31

71%

35

42%

53

24%

Singapore

31

45%

73

61%

23

52%

57

23%

Norway

32

45%

106

50%

15

59%

41

26%

Austria

33

45%

102

51%

17

57%

38

27%

North Macedonia

34

45%

35

69%

25

51%

96

14%

Malta

35

45%

110

48%

7

64%

60

23%

Venezuela

36

45%

2

82%

87

22%

27

30%

Mexico

37

44%

10

76%

66

30%

37

27%

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

21

COUNTRY

RANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORE

Dominican Republic

38

44%

25

73%

82

25%

10

36%

Paraguay

39

44%

29

71%

59

33%

31

29%

Sri Lanka

40

44%

44

66%

69

30%

8

37%

Kyrgyzstan
Bosnia andHerzegovina
Costa Rica

41

44%

47

65%

33

44%

64

23%

42

44%

66

62%

12

60%

110

10%

43

44%

6

78%

60

32%

66

22%

Kosovo

44

43%

59

64%

19

56%

106

11%

Bolivia

45

43%

14

75%

90

22%

19

33%

Ghana

46

43%

69

61%

50

35%

16

33%

Vietnam

47

43%

56

64%

39

40%

43

26%

Iran

48

43%

55

64%

27

49%

91

15%

China

49

42%

49

65%

51

35%

35

28%

Sweden

50

42%

101

51%

16

58%

81

17%

Colombia

51

42%

9

76%

80

25%

50

24%

Ecuador

52

42%

17

74%

93

21%

30

30%

Slovakia

53

41%

62

63%

36

42%

77

19%

Bulgaria

54

41%

28

72%

54

34%

80

18%

Germany

55

41%

91

54%

28

48%

72

20%

Nepal

56

40%

85

55%

46

36%

26

30%

India

57

40%

82

57%

61

31%

18

33%

Nicaragua

58

40%

51

64%

75

27%

29

30%

Uruguay

59

40%

27

72%

68

30%

78

19%

Cyprus

60

40%

64

63%

49

35%

65

22%

Senegal

61

40%

30

71%

86

24%

46

25%

Hungary

62

40%

19

73%

55

33%

101

13%

Turkey

63

40%

16

75%

57

33%

104

11%

Estonia

64

40%

84

55%

34

43%

74

20%

Burkina Faso

65

39%

72

61%

83

24%

22

32%

Tajikistan

66

39%

75

60%

108

15%

5

43%

Malawi

67

39%

20

73%

110

14%

28

30%

Peru

68

39%

33

70%

91

22%

51

24%

Slovenia

69

39%

108

50%

37

42%

49

25%

Uzbekistan

70

38%

88

54%

31

45%

90

15%

Chile

71

38%

42

67%

63

30%

86

16%

Congo Brazzaville

72

38%

36

69%

99

18%

43

26%

Mali

73

38%

60

63%

104

18%

23

32%

Finland

74

37%

95

53%

44

37%

63

23%

Iraq

75

37%

22

73%

72

29%

109

10%

Switzerland

76

37%

115

40%

30

45%

40

27%

Cameroon

77

37%

32

71%

98

19%

68

22%

Israel

78

37%

100

51%

42

39%

71

21%

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

22

COUNTRY

RANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORERANKINGSCORE

Mauritius

79

37%

90

54%

58

33%

47

25%

Cote d’Ivoire

80

37%

43

67%

85

24%

73

20%

Hong Kong

81

37%

86

55%

32

44%

103

12%

Croatia

82

37%

65

63%

43

37%

108

10%

Lithuania

83

37%

52

64%

77

27%

76

19%

Panama

84

36%

53

64%

88

22%

59

23%

Saudi Arabia

85

36%

57

64%

71

29%

85

16%

El Salvador

86

36%

71

61%

96

20%

39

27%

South Africa

87

35%

67

62%

106

16%

34

28%

South Korea

88

35%

96

53%

45

36%

89

16%

Namibia

89

35%

41

68%

112

13%

62

23%

Moldova, Republic of

90

34%

38

68%

92

22%

100

13%

Taiwan

91

34%

99

51%

41

39%

102

12%

Togo

92

34%

80

57%

89

22%

58

23%

Kazakhstan

93

34%

111

47%

40

39%

87

16%

Mozambique

94

34%

92

53%

101

18%

25

30%

Gabon

95

34%

23

73%

113

11%

83

17%

Albania

96

34%

78

57%

48

36%

118

8%

Tanzania

97

33%

92

53%

64

30%

94

14%

Benin

98

32%

89

54%

97

19%

56

24%

Spain

99

32%

104

50%

62

31%

88

16%

France

100

32%

116

38%

70

30%

32

29%

Jordan

101

32%

21

73%

111

14%

115

9%

Greece

102

32%

79

57%

94

21%

82

17%

Morocco

103

31%

24

73%

118

7%

95

14%

Georgia

104

31%

40

68%

119

3%

67

22%

Zimbabwe

105

31%

63

63%

114

10%

79

19%

Romania

106

30%

68

61%

100

18%

105

11%

Algeria

107

30%

77

58%

102

18%

97

14%

Pakistan

108

29%

94

53%

81

25%

111

10%

Italy

109

29%

113

44%

67

30%

93

14%

Armenia

110

29%

70

61%

107

16%

107

11%

Latvia

111

29%

103

50%

74

27%

112

10%

Tunisia
Lao People’s
Democratic Republic
Portugal

112

28%

61

63%

115

9%

98

13%

113

27%

117

36%

65

30%

92

15%

114

26%

98

52%

105

17%

113

10%

Lebanon

115

24%

105

50%

109

14%

117

9%

Egypt

116

23%

81

57%

116

7%

119

4%

Afghanistan

117

21%

112

44%

117

7%

99

13%

Japan

118

20%

118

24%

103

18%

83

17%

Cambodia

119

19%

119

23%

84

24%

114

10%

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

23

CAF network
Charities Aid Foundation consists of CAF in the UK, CAF America and CAF Canada. We are also proud to partner with agrowing number of independent philanthropic organisations across the world.
The CAF International Network helps CAF to facilitate cross-border giving and onward grant making of the highest
regulatory standard. We also work with Partners to tackle a range of issues impacting the sector in their territories.
CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION (UK)CAF CANADABCAUSE(BULGARIA)
TUSEV(TURKEY)CAF AMERICACAF INDIACAF SOUTHERN AFRICA
IDIS (BRAZIL)
GOOD2GIVE (AUSTRALIA)

Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

24

Surveyed countries
CAF World giving Index 2022

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
BrazilBulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
CanadaChile
China
Colombia
Congo Brazzaville
Costa Rica
Cote d’Ivoire
Croatia
CyprusCzech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
EcuadorEgypt
El Salvador

Estonia
FinlandFranceGabon
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
GreeceGuineaHondurasHong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
IrelandIsraelItaly
JamaicaJapan
JordanKazakhstan
Kenya
KosovoKyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic
Republic
LatviaCharities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index 2022

LebanonLithuania
MalawiMali
Malta
Mauritius
MexicoMoldova, Republic of
Mongolia
MoroccoMozambique
MyanmarNamibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Macedonia
NorwayPakistan
PanamaParaguay
Peru
Philippines
PolandPortugal
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia

SenegalSerbiaSierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
SwedenSwitzerland
TaiwanTajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tunisia
TurkeyUgandaUkraineUnited Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
ZambiaZimbabwe25

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